Back to results
US 9,808,867 B2Granted
Flexible shaft for holding a tool of rotary driven motion
AssigneeFlex Technology, Inc.
InventorsWilliam R. Krause, Garland Edwards
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tool having a flexible shaft, a first end and, a second end and capable of being bent about its axis. The tool transfers rotary motion from a device to tool. The shaft, manufactured from a rigid material, has at least one flexible segment, each flexible segment have at least one sinuous slot ascending in a helical path. With multiple segments, the helical path of the slots can be opposite or the same. With one or more segments having multiple slots, the slots can be parallel or have opposite ascensions, thereby crossing one another. The helical paths can vary within each segment or from segment to segment.
Claims43
A flexible shaft for a tool, said flexible shaft being a rigid material and comprising:
- a. a rigid first end, said rigid first end being capable of receiving an instrument to impart rotary motion,
- b. a rigid second end, said rigid second end being dimensioned to receive a tool to receive said rotary motion and transmit said rotary motion to a tool,
- c. a body between said rigid first end and said rigid second end, said body having:
- an outer surface,
- an inner cavity having a surface,
- a longitudinal surface,
- at least one segment, each of said at least one segment having a segment proximal end and a segment distal end,
- at least one sinuous slot within at least one of said at least one segment, each of said at least one sinuous slot having:
- a width,
- a depth from said outer surface to said inner cavity,
- a start point, said start point having a circular end, said start point being a first predetermined distance from said rigid first end, and
- an end point, said end point having a circular end, said end point being a second predetermined distance from said rigid first end,
- said at least one sinuous slot being cut in a helical path along said longitudinal surface of said body to form interlocking teeth to enable flexibility within said at least one segment, a first of said at least one sinuous slot ascending a first of said at least one segment from said start point of said first of said at least one sinuous slot to said end point of said first of said at least one sinuous slot, in a first rotational direction,
- wherein said rotary motion is transferred by said interlocking teeth locking with adjacent teeth to transfer said rotary motion from said rigid first end to said rigid second end while said body is unbent or bent about an axis.
11 more elements
A flexible shaft for a tool, said flexible shaft being a rigid material and comprising:
- a. a rigid first end, said rigid first end being capable of receiving an instrument to impart rotary motion,
- b. a body, said body having:
- an outer surface,
- an inner cavity,
- a diameter, said diameter being about 0.04 to 4.0 inches, and
- at least one segment, each of said at least one segment having a segment proximal end and a segment distal end, each of said at least one flexible segment spaced from a subsequent of said at least one segment by a rigid segment,
- and
- at least one sinuous slot within at least one of said at least one segment, each of said at least one sinuous slot having:
- a depth from said outer surface to said inner surface,
- a width of about 2.5% to about 20% of said diameter,
- a ratio of amplitude to pitch in the range of about 0.1 to about 0.8,
- a helical angle of about 45 to 75 degrees from the longitudinal axis,
- a start point, said start point being a first predetermined distance from said first end, and
- an end point said point being a second predetermined distance from said first end,
- circular ends at said start point and said end point of each of said at least one sinuous slot
- said sinuous slot being cut in a helical path along a longitudinal surface of said body to form interlocking teeth, a first of said at least one sinuous slot ascending a first of said at least one flexible segment from said start point to said end point in a first direction, to create a flexible segment,
- a rigid second end, said rigid second end being dimensioned to receive a tool to receive said rotary motion from said body and transmit said rotary motion to a tool,
- wherein said rotary motion is transferred by said interlocking teeth locking with adjacent teeth to transfer said rotary motion while said body is bent about an axis.
15 more elements
The method of controlling the flexibility of a flexible shaft for a tool to transmit rotary motion comprising the steps of:
- selecting a flexible shaft, said flexible shaft having at least one sinuous slot in a helical pattern cut in a helical path along a longitudinal surface of said shaft to form interlocking teeth, said at least one sinuous slot ascending said at least one flexible segment from a segment start point to a segment end point,
- attaching an instrument to a first end of said flexible shaft,
- attaching a tool to a second end of said flexible shaft,
- flexing said shaft to place said tool in an element to receive said rotary motion,
- rotating said instrument,
- transmitting said rotary motion from said instrument to said tool along said flexible shaft to said tool.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.